Beyond Babedom

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A Control Freak Christmas

So many people really enjoy celebrating Christmas. I’m one of them. I literally have 22 boxes of decorations that I begin putting up right after Thanksgiving as well as a ton of traditions I like to repeat, year after year. Some things, however, never make it past year one. And it’s because I’m a Christmas Control Freak.

Sometimes I think I enjoy getting ready for the holidays more than the actual holiday itself. There’s something about planning that puts me in a great mood. Usually, the first thing I plan is my decorations (before I plan my menus, my gift buying, my to-do list, my guest lists. . . you get the point). I used to do my decorations exactly the same, year after year (and actually took photos so I could accurately replicate my earlier successes). I’ve gotten over that; as step one in my post-OCD training, I have forced myself to come up with a new arrangement each year. But I still photograph everything. Just in case.

But some things never change.

Like tree decorating. I will never, ever again try to have a tree decorating party. Picture this: a tree decorating party my first Christmas in my own apartment. Sounded likeĀ  a lot of fun. First, someone hung an ornament right next to a similar one. Then, someone else put a big, heavy ornament near the top of the tree. And it only got worse. Don’t people (other than me) have any sense of space and balance? After I spent the entire night removing and replacing most of the tree decorations, I undecorated it and started over once they left. What stress.

And ribbons? People; that is fabric ribbon! Wired fabric ribbon that you’re throwing away! Okay; if you want to keep it yourself, fine. But if you’re just going to stuff it in the bag with the torn up wrapping paper, give it back. Now.

Wrapping paper? There has to be a theme; either just one type of paper (preferably solid), or a family of papers. I’ve had to hide old wrapping paper from Gary. Now he knows to ask first.

Last year Gary decided he wanted to photograph my Christmas village to use in some fine art photography he was doing – something like putting himself in the village (who wouldn‘t want to be there?). But he started moving my people around! Is he crazy?

My goal every Christmas (especially when I’m entertaining) is to enjoy the holiday. And I do.

Just don’t move those snowmen.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 28th, 2010 at 8:08 PM and is filed under Just Fun. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  1. Joann says:

    Love the story and I can relate. This year since we are moving, I did not put the tree up. Did not seem like Christmas because of that fact and there were no lights on my house or on the front bushes.
    I love to decorate and in the past when I first married my husband, we had two trees decorated for a few years. One tree was artifical and the other was real. Had to have two trees because we had 5 kids living here and we need the
    someplace to place the gifts under besides the beds and furniture.
    Thanks for sharing and I will start the same traditions once we are settled in our new home.

  2. Barry Jay says:

    We always go crazy around the house decorating….and usually it’s never the same each year. I just need to see lights and bring back my fond childhood memories..

  3. Susan Nigro says:

    We too, love the decorating and the wrapping. My husband fills our stockings to the brim with anything and everything that you might need – all wrapped. It was a tradition with our kids, and we spent hours screaming laughing at the stuff he would wrap!!!! White-out, post-its, deodorant. Very extravagant gifts!!! We have two trees, one for the kids in the dining room and one fancy one for living room! I love to sit and look at it the whole month of December. And thank goodness my husband loves it too. I told him I didn’t have a place anymore to put my village – he built me a new table!!! He’s probably the only nut outside in the snow with his ladder fixing his wreath on the top of the house. Well, soon it will all be down, and everything will look bare for a while. Until next year – God willing!!

  4. David says:

    My only Christmas tradition is to drink as much champagne as humanly possible!

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